Dental-office expansion in Oakwood gets CB3 thumbs-down

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Community Board 3 rejected last night a proposal to expand a dental office in Oakwood.

The full board voted to deny the expansion of the office at 2936 Hylan Blvd., which brought applause from the residents and civic representatives in attendance.

“It was a good choice,” said Dennis Dell’Angelo of the Staten Island Taxpayers’ Association, after the full board meeting in the CYO/MIV Center, Pleasant Plains.

Board members were concerned about oversaturation and what they deem insufficient parking spaces to accomoodate the expansion.

Dell’Angelo called the structure, which is essentially a residential building converted into a medical office, “a textbook case” of what’s wrong with these types of facilities.

Also, with the Department of City Planning (DCP) having introduced new guidelines earlier this month that curb such facilities in residential areas, Board Chairman Frank Morano said the board can’t back down now.

“The board has been in the forefront of fighting against community facilities and we have to be consistent in that message,” he said, adding, “We have been yelling like crazy about” these facilities.

In March, the full board voted 28-1 to return the application to committee. Architect Philip Rampulla went back to the drawing board, promptly addressing the issues and concerns.

The land use committee subsequently gave the proposal its blessing last week.

However, the full board last night rejected the plan.

The proposal now heads to the city Board of Standards and Appeals, which could still approve it.

In other business, Paul Casali, representing Public Advocate Bill De Blasio, presented the board with a resolution and petition that aims to keep the city’s current Charter Revision process an open and transparent endeavor with public input.